Tell Me Your Dreams
by Cassiopeia.19
Summary: Draco had nightmares after the war was over. He needed to be comforted. And he finds it; in the most unexpected place and from the most unexpected person.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own either Harry Potter or any of the characters mentioned below.**

**Chapter 1 **

_Still I scrub and scrub until my body bleeds_

_Convince myself I am coming clean_

_Forget and ignore who I used to be_

_That kid is never coming back_

It was more than a year after the Battle of Hogwarts and Draco still had nightmares. They began the day the Great War ended. But in all honesty, they actually began from the moment he was delegated with the task of murdering Albus Dumbledore. No, not murder, assassination. It was an assassination because Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was a great man indeed. _Even greater than Voldemort, _thought Draco, without any fear because Voldemort was gone now, for good, _no thanks to me._

Surprisingly, on such nights when he couldn't sleep, Draco found a great deal of comfort in the huge library at his parent's manor. He discovered this on the fourth night he had the nightmares; in an attempt to find solace, he had wandered around the giant, empty, cold manor and found himself in front of the unused library. As soon as he entered, he was enveloped by a strange warmth that he always associated with Hogwarts. After that night, he came to the library almost every night and sometimes even succeeded in falling asleep, however fitful that may be.

After the war ended, Draco had realized the emptiness of the kind of life he used to lead. He found no comfort now in the continuous attention that he received from either the press or from anyone he associated with his previous life. Mostly, he felt vilely irritated by the non-stop attention he was subjected to by Pansy. He could not figure out how he could have liked and actually wanted it in the first place. For him, she and his other friends from Slytherin (with the sole exception of Blaise Zabini) were a reminder of the kind of life that he absolutely despised.

Zabini and the fact that he wanted to become an Auror when he grew up were the only reasons that he had agreed to go back to Hogwarts for his seventh and last year. He was desperate to get over it quickly so that he could start a new life, but on his own worth and not with his despicable father's filthy money. Although they still lived in the same house, Draco was disgusted of his father and blamed him for dragging him into the world comprised only of evil. He didn't blame his mother, for she too was a victim like him. It was his father that he despised and wanted to get away from.

The train ride back to Hogwarts was pretty uneventful (that is, if you didn't count the stares he got from every direction, especially from the nosey and curious first years who had heard that there was an ex-Death Eater on the train). The only thing that made the journey bearable for him was his best buddy Blaise who gave death stares to anyone looking their way, and Draco was grateful to him for that (God knew, he had received more attention than he would have liked the past year).

As soon as the train stopped, Draco and Blaise jumped out of the train and got on the first carriage back to school. They didn't pay any attention to anyone the whole time and as soon as the feast was over, went back to their Common Room. He didn't want to talk to anyone so he went straight to his room and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He must have been asleep for about 4 hours when he woke up with a start. He checked the clock in the room and saw that it was 2am. Failing to fall asleep again no matter how hard he tried, he sat up on his bed and saw that all his roommates were sleeping. Trying the tactic that he tried at home, he got up and went straight to the library. He was surprised when he found that the door was unlocked and wondered whether anyone else was up at this ungodly hour. He soon dismissed the thought and proceeded to enter the library as noiselessly as possible. Ascertaining that no one else was there, he went towards the armchairs kept near the fireplace. As he was about to sit on one of them, he heard a slight sniff and suddenly stood up, turning the armchair over. He turned around, surprised, and found himself into the equally surprised eyes of Hermione Granger, looking breath-takingly beautiful in the bright full moon light.

**A/N: This is my first shot at writing fan fiction. So please be kind and if you like the story, kindly post a review as that would make my day and encourage me to write more. I would like to post chapters every Wednesday, starting from today (18 February, 2015). Thankyou..:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Period!**

**P.S. – After re-reading the first chapter, I realized that I went through it in a hurry and in a very haphazard way. I am sorry about that and I promise the next chapters will be longer and (hopefully) better.**

**P.P.S. – A special thanks to bubblecloudz and beluga0827 for the reviews. They honestly made my day and a special shout-out to all the people who followed the story. You guys are amazing! 3 3 3**

**Now, on with the story :)**

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**Chapter 2**

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?!" asked Hermione spitefully, hastily wiping away the tears making their way down her cheeks.

"I may ask you the same thing! What are you doing here at this time of the night?" Draco retorted with the same amount of venom in his voice even though he had a strange and uncanny urge to go and comfort her; it really didn't help that she was looking so beautiful, even with her tear stained face. _Has she always looked this beautiful?_

"I don't have to answer to you!" Hermione said and stormed out of the library. As Draco watched her go, he felt that he saw her hesitate at the door for a few seconds. But he did not have time to react to that; he was still reeling from how he had actually wanted to react when he saw her crying – _What was that? That was so weird. I felt sorry for her? Did I actually want to comfort her? Granger? Good God Draco, you are going soft!_

He then glanced at where she had been sitting and noticed an open book, its pages fluttering in the cool night air coming through the open window. Curious as to what she was reading at this time of the night, Draco went up to the window and picked up the book. He saw that it was actually Hermione's personal diary that she had been writing in before he came. After a few seconds of battling with his conscience, curiosity overcame him and he started reading the last entry she had made –

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"_September 1, 1999:_

_Dear diary,_

_My nightmares are getting worse. I still don't know what they actually mean and it's still the same; the only difference is that I wake up feeling even more restless and sweaty and somehow scared to death than I used to before. I don't know what to do. Even Harry, Ron and Ginny have started becoming really worried; Ginny more than the boys as she is the one who always wakes me up when I am screaming in my sleep. She has advised me to go to Professor McGonagall or Madam Pomfrey, but what if they send me to St. Mungo's, thinking that I am becoming mad? I am scared that that is really what's happening, but I don't want anyone to confirm it, not yet. I am not ready. What do I do? I wish there was someone who knew and understood what I am going through, although I really don't hope that someone is as tortured as I am. But still, it would help, a lot. It's moments like these that I wish my paren.."_

This is all that she had been able to write before Draco had interrupted her. The page was tear-splotched and a bit difficult to read at some places, but Draco was stunned at what he read. _She has been having nightmares! Like me! I have to go and tell her that I understand because God knows even I need someone who gets it!_

With that thought in head, he ran out of the library with the diary in his hands, hoping to find Hermione somewhere on the way. But alas, he didn't know where the Gryffindor common room was. So, after 10 minutes of frantically searching for her, Draco went back to the library, defeated. He sat down at the same place Hermione had been sitting and (being the gentleman that he was) started reading her diary from the beginning hoping to know more about her nightmares.

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"_June 10, 1998:_

_Dear diary,_

_I apologise for not having been able to write recently. I was a bit pre-occupied, you know, what with the war and everything that happened. Everyone's still pretty edgy about everything. And I can't even begin to explain the atmosphere at The Burrow. I feel so sad for everyone, it breaks my heart. Especially George. He has not been able to look into the mirror since the day that Fred died and Mrs. Weasley has already finished knitting two sweaters with the letter 'F' on them. She has started to go a little crazy but the healer who saw her after the war said that she was just in shock and that she will be all right – all that was needed was a lot of love from her family and friends. _

_It's hard seeing them try so hard not to break down. Although it's for the benefit of Mrs. Weasley (and honestly, she has started to get a little better already), it's really hard for the rest of them. Harry and I are spending all our time here, nowadays, because we don't really have anywhere else to go and the Weasleys seem really glad to take us in. Harry brought Teddy here too and he is actually proving to be a very good distraction. May God bless them all._

_One more thing. I have started having some strange dreams. I didn't want to worry anyone with it, so I am writing it down instead. I can't make out what's happening in these dreams, it's all a blur. But I woke up feeling a bit restless and queasy and irritated, like an itch I couldn't scratch… "_

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"_June 15, 1998:_

_Dear diary,_

_I miss my parents so much. There is always this dull ache in my heart when I realize that if I stood before them now, they wouldn't recognize me. Everyone is trying to convince me to go back to them and undo the memory charm and bring back their memory; God knows it's been too long and I am missing them terribly. But I can't just leave the Weasleys now. They need me and they have been like a family to me and I plan on doing everything that I can for them before leaving."_

"What?" Draco exclaimed loudly. "Granger's parents don't remember her? Did she erase her parents' memory or something? Why would anyone do that?" After making this enquiry aloud to the empty library, he continued:

"_I had the dream again yesterday. It was pretty much the same, but I think I saw something floating around this time. It was very weird. Although this time when I woke up, I was feeling a bit scared, like something or someone was after me. I still haven't told anyone about it. Do you think I should? Maybe no, not yet. Everyone already has a lot on their plates. I wonder how long it will take to get everything back to normal._

_George spends the entire day in his room. He doesn't let anyone enter. Everyone is genuinely concerned for him. Yesterday night, he came down to dinner and that was the first time we saw him since my last entry. He looked so tired and weak and thin. And he didn't even eat properly. Although everyone is happy with the war being over now and Voldemort gone for good, we all have become scarred and wounded now and these wounds will take a long long time to heal. As for the scars, they will always be there.."_

At this point, Draco stopped reading, this was too much for him. For the first time in his life, he felt sorry for not only Hermione but Harry and the Weasleys too. He couldn't imagine what they were going through since he had not really lost someone close to him. Yes he lost his aunt in the war, and at the hands of Moly Weasley too. Still, he was not this close to her, he never had been. Apart from his mother, there was no one that he actually cared for. He felt sorry that he had teased them all through school for not being rich enough, because, as he knew now, they were much richer than he ever was.

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**A/N: So, that's that. I hope you liked this one, if so then please post a review. And I am really grateful to all the people who reviewed and followed. Thank you so much :) Also, I uploaded this chapter today because there's a family event I have to leave for next Wednesday and so, I won't be able to upload any new chapters then.**

**Now, I have some things I want your help with:**

**I request all of you to suggest some good names for the story. I am really not satisfied with the name that I have given and I can't seem to come up with anything either. So I would really appreciate some good suggestions. **

**If you have some criticism regarding the story or want to point out some spelling mistakes or grammatical errors or are not happy with how I am taking the story forward, please let me know.**

**And last but not the least, kindly post reviews.**

**Thank you for reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Not yet, that is. Will let you know the day I do :)**

**I apologise for the humongous delay in updating this chapter. I have been awfully busy. But, honestly, that's not an excuse so I am really really sorry.**

**As you may have noticed, I have changed the name of the story. The previous name didn't seem suitable and I would like to give a special shout out to my lovely reader Lubnah10. I really appreciate it..:)**

**Now, on with story…**

**Chapter 3**

Hermione was frantic – her diary was nowhere to be seen. After storming out of the library, she went up to the Gryffindor common room muttering all the way how horrid a creature Draco Malfoy was and how respecting a person's privacy was a concept completely unknown to the foul git. It was not before she was standing before the painting of the fat lady that she realized she did not have her diary with her. Retracing her steps, she went all the way to the library, which was now empty. She went up to where she was sitting and gave a sharp cry when it was not there either. What she was not aware of was that she had just missed Draco who was out at the moment searching for her.

She gave an exasperated cry and sat down on the armchair in front of the fireplace, sobbing uncontrollably. She could not bear for anyone, least of all Draco Malfoy, know her weakness. She had not told anyone about it yet – not even Ron, Harry or Ginny. She felt a little guilty about it, but even thinking about those dreams made her nerves stand up on their edges. There was something frightening about how they unnerved her. _What if Malfoy has the diary with him? It made the most sense for him to have it since, apart from me, he was the only one in the library_. _If he reads the entries, I will be doomed! He will tell everyone about it and the Harry and Ron and Ginny will know that I hid something like this from them and I will become the school joke! Oh God no!_

With this devastating thought circling her mind, she stumbled out of the library towards the Slytherin Common Room. After five minutes of wandering the castle absent-minded, Hermione realized that she didn't know where the Slytherin Common Room was. Resigned, she headed towards the Black Lake. She couldn't go into her dormitory now and face the inquisitive Ginny who was most certainly still awake, waiting for her. Other than the library, the black lake was her refuge from her own thoughts when they were troubling her. On many occasions before as well, she had come here to clear her mind from whatever kind of turbulence it was in and found comfort in the comfortably cold breeze and the sound of the waves crashing onto the land.

She went up to one of the trees near the lake and lay down beside it and started thinking about the dream that had been haunting her for so many months. They were no clearer than they were before, but since coming to Hogwarts, a new emotion had replaced the feeling of dread that she had always associated with these dreams – curiosity. Surrounded by the familiarity of Hogwarts, she found that she was no more afraid of the dreams. She was actually curious as to what it meant. She had almost made up her mind at breakfast to tell the boys and Ginny about the dream, just to see if they could help her decipher it. _But by now, Malfoy must have read the entire diary and showing it off to the other Slytherins. Oh, how they must be laughing at me right now.. _With this embarrassing thought, she covered her face with her hand and started sobbing into them softly.

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From the library window, Draco saw someone going towards the Black Lake. _Who is that? Looks like they are going towards the Black Lake. _He started thinking who could be awake at such an ungodly hour like this, when it suddenly struck him, _Hermione!_ He immediately jumped up from the cozy spot he was sitting in, quickly wrapped his scarf around his neck, snatched the journal and started running towards the lake. In the hurry, he noisily bumped into one of the chairs which earned him several grunts and an insult from the various portraits hanging about in the library. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his thigh, he ran down the stairs at a speed he didn't know he possessed and didn't stop until he was on the school grounds.

Draco took a moment to breathe and now conscious of the injury which would surely turn blue by tomorrow's breakfast, he rubbed it. Then as he looked up, even from such a distance, he could make out Hermione's frizzy hair and felt elated at having found her at last. Being unable to run, he limped the rest of the way towards her and started thinking about how he would justify himself once he actually reached her. But before he knew or could think of something coherent, he found himself standing next to the tree against which she was sitting. He would have walked further hadn't an angry _'Hey' _broken his train of thought. Alarmed, Draco spun around and found himself looking into the very angry eyes of a certain Gryffindor he had always hated, which were now red from crying.

"Hey", Hermione repeated with even more venom in her voice this time. "What are you doing here?" Draco had never seen her this angry and he had to admit to himself, that he was a bit scared. "I asked you, what are you doin..." Hermione suddenly stopped, because by now, she had spotted her journal in Draco's hands. "I knew it! I knew you were the one who had stolen my journal! Who else could it be!" With this, she snatched it out of his hands, half expecting the rest of the Slytherin house to come out from hiding now and start laughing at her. But moments passed and no one came. It was only she and Draco who seemed to be there. Correction: Only she and Draco seemed to be awake right now in the whole school. _What's happening, _Hermione thought and having calmed down a little, looked at Draco with less hatred than before. She noticed that he was not looking at her the way he had looked the seven years they shared; he almost looked, kind. _Now that's not a word I would have associated with him_, she thought.

When Draco was sure she had calmed down and would be willing to be reasonable, he explained to her how she had left her journal in the library and how he had been running around the castle looking for her, conveniently leaving out that he had read it. It was when Hermione asked him in an unnaturally calm way whether he had read it or not that he sheepishly admitted that he, in fact, had read a couple or maybe three entries. This brought back the rage and the angry tears in her eyes. "So, I was right! You haven't changed even a bit, have you? I thought, even hoped, that the war would have changed you a bit, but you are still the foul git that you always have been! How could you?! Don't you know how personal a journal is?" Saying this, Hermione broke off and started crying. Draco was about to say something when Hermione said "So, where are they? Huh? Where are those _friends _of yours? I am sure you had a great laugh amongst yourselves while you read this, didn't you!"

By now, Draco was completely at sea as to what she was talking about. "What on earth are you saying! Have you gone mental? Why would I do that?" But ignoring him completely, Hermione continued with her rant, "The 'Mighty Granger' having nightmares! How fun it is! I am glad to have been a source of such amusement to you and those filthy f-friends of yours! I am glad you find my nightmares so amusing!" Saying this, Hermione broke down completely and started crying loudly.

Draco somehow felt a little guilty and once again had the urge to comfort her, but he was sure she would have misunderstood it. So, he patiently waited for her to stop crying and when she finally did, he said in a small, inaudible voice "I know what you feel like; I have them too." Hermione was too angry to tolerate any mumblings at this point. So she asked angrily, "What are you saying? Speak up!" "I know how you feel.. I have them too, every night.." "What are you talking about, huh?" By now, Draco had had a lot! So he just shouted at her "I HAVE THEM TOO, OKAY? I HAVE MY NIGHTMARES TOO! EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. I HAVE LOST COUNT OF HOW MANY DAYS IT HAS BEEN SINCE I LAST SLEPT! SO DON'T YOU THINK YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS AFFECTED BY THE WAR! DON'T YOU DARE THINK YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS THESE NIGHTMARES!"

Draco's rant was followed by complete silence and a look of utter shock on Hermione's face. She had never imagined that Draco could be affected by the war, she had never even considered that possibility. And now that she thought of it, it made sense.. The absent, sleep-deprived look in his eyes when he came in for breakfast, or the fact that he was more often than not distracted in his classes.. It all made perfect sense now.. Hermione felt sorry for him because she understood the power nightmares held over a person. And the look on his face now made her want to say something; something reassuring. But as soon as she opened her mouth to say something, Draco said, "The war took away a lot from me, okay? You may not realize it, maybe no one in the school does.. But it did, a lot!" With this, he turned and was walking towards the castle when a quiet and calm voice stopped him. "Draco" He turned around reluctantly and looked towards Hermione who was looking towards the lake. "Tell me.." "Tell you what?" "Your dreams" Then she turned around and looked fully into Draco's eyes, "Tell me your dreams.."

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**A/N: Thank you peeps for reading this story. It means loads to me. Again, I apologise for the delay in updating this chapter. I hope you will forgive me. *bows down***

**Also, kindly post reviews about whether you like the story or nor and if you don't, then what is it that you don't like. As always, criticism is as welcome as appreciation. **

**Thank you **** :* :***


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